Why in News?

• The old Lipulekh Pass, located at an altitude of 18,300 feet in the Vyas Valley of Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand, will be accessible to the public from 15th September 2024.
• It would allow devotees to view the sacred Kailash Peak in Tibet from within the Indian territory.

Key Points:

=> The Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra via the Lipulekh pass was suspended in 2019 following the Covid-19 outbreak and the route has yet to be opened by the Chinese authorities.

=> This sacred trek leads devotees and adventurers to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar, located in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.

=> The pilgrims will be able to drive up to Lipulekh from Dharchula.

=> From there, they will need to traverse approximately 800 meters on foot to reach the vantage point for viewing the Kailash peak.

=> The pilgrims can now also have a view of Om Parvat from within the Indian territory.

Kailash Mansarovar:

• The Kailash range’s supreme peak lies in the Chinese-occupied Tibet at the height of 6,675 meters.
• The pilgrimage to Kailash and to the sacred Mansarover lake that lies 30 km to its south, is run exclusively by a government organization, the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN).
• The organization works in collaboration with the Government of India’s Ministry of External Affairs and the Government of China.